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Daisy Tibbs Dawson papers, 1946-2012

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Dawson, Daisy Tibbs, 1924-2013
Title
Daisy Tibbs Dawson papers
Dates
1946-2012 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.24 cubic feet (8 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
6192 (Accession No. 6192-001)
Summary
Materials related to the life and work of a Seattle African American peace activist and educator
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Daisy Lee Tibbs Dawson (1924-2013) was a peace activist and educator and the only African American to be memorialized in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. She was born on July 24, 1924 in Toney, Alabama to Calvin and Martha Tibbs, the ninth of eleven children. Both her parents died by the time Daisy was seven years old, whereby she and her two full siblings moved in with a maternal uncle and his wife. Daisy attended Trinity High School, a private Black high school established by white Presbyterian missionaries, while working to support herself.

In 1944 Daisy Tibbs moved to Memphis and then Seattle with her mentors, Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Wright. She attended the University of Washington as one of only sixty-five Black students and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. While teaching at Harbison Junior College in South Carolina, Tibbs was invited to join a volunteer team to build houses in Hiroshima, Japan.

In the summer of 1949, Floyd Schmoe, Reverend Emery Andrews, Ruth Jenkins, and Daisy Tibbs traveled to Japan as part of the first “Houses for Hiroshima” work team. Working with local Japanese students and volunteers, the group constructed four houses and a garden. The unusual project garnered local and international attention, and Ebony magazine sent a journalist to write a feature of Daisy Tibbs’ involvement.

In 1950 Daisy Tibbs returned to Seattle where she married Leonard Dawson and started a family. In 1965 she volunteered with Head Start, a pre-school program providing comprehensive services for economically and culturally disadvantaged children, and was soon hired on as an assistant teacher at Colman Elementary School. Dawson worked her way up, eventually becoming the director of the Seattle Public Schools Head Start Program in 1971. She also served as president of the A & S League of the Principals Association of Seattle Public Schools, Sunday School Superintendent of Madrona Presbyterian Church, and was also a member of the National Council of Negro Women and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She acquired a Master of Arts and Education from Seattle University in 1982 before retiring in 1984.

Sources: Biographical sheet found in collection (Box 1, folder 1), Seattle Times Obituary, Columbia magazine, and BlackPast.org.

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Content Description

Materials related to the life of Daisy Lee Tibbs Dawson. Includes photographs, scrapbooks, newsclippings, plaques, correspondence, and other documents associated with Homes for Hiroshima, the Head Start Program, and the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority. Also includes personal letters, maps and other items.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Craig Dawson, Leonard Dawson, Jr., and Debra Dawson, 2017-07-10 and 2023.

Processing Note

Collection was processed in 2023.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Pacifism--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • School administrators--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Dawson, Daisy Tibbs, 1924-2013--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
  • Head Start Program (Seattle, Wash.)

Geographical Names

  • Hiroshima-shi (Japan)


2018 (Last modified: 11/22/2024)

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